


With Open Eyes [An Avengers Story]

by theobamallama



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Marvel - Freeform, Romance, The Avengers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-03
Updated: 2015-09-03
Packaged: 2018-04-18 22:19:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4722443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theobamallama/pseuds/theobamallama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Young Olyvia Banner is a girl with a lot of things on her mind. Literally. By just a touch she can see and understand everyone's life story. It's a heavy burden, but Olyvia must make the best of it. Though soon enough, she'll realize she doesn't have to be alone forever. Her father has returned and he cares for her more than ever. Robert Bruce Banner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

            The school’s courtyard was lush and green.  Olyvia loved the sight of it all.  It gave that gentle sense to the earth and the people around it.  Group by group of person hustled and bustled to their next class not caring of who they knocked over…and that ‘who’ just happened to be Olyvia. With a surprised huff, she was bombarded to the cold, hard ground.  The pack of girls above her just cackled whilst passing her vicious smirks.

 

            Olyvia let a heavy sigh pass her lips and lifted herself from the ground once the girls departed. Unfortunately, she had a little trouble with some of the other girls from her school.  For some reason they really didn’t seem to like her all that much. Though, that didn’t matter too much to Olyvia, (at least she acted like it didn’t matter) she had a few friends of her own, so that was fine by her.  As long as she had them, everything would be alright.

 

            As she entered the large building, people were laughing, giggling, pushing, shoving. Olyvia truly wanted no part of public school. She found it, at times, rather animalistic and exceedingly unhygienic for that matter.  The young girl was halted in her thoughts as a boy accidentally brushed against her.

 

            _‘No. Not again,’_ Olyvia thought.  The touch brought memories before her eyes and a dazed expression danced upon her expression.  His whole life. His whole story. It was all shown before her. From getting his first bike to helping his little sister with her math homework.  Olyvia was lost for a moment, but as the memories slowed to a halt she came back to her senses.  She utterly despised what she could do.  She could know literally everything, and only by one little touch.

 

            _“Olyvia Banner. Please, come to the front office.  Again, Olyvia Banner.  Please, report to the front office.”_

 

            She listened carefully to the school’s speaker.  She couldn’t help but wonder what they were calling her up for.  Though, she merely shrugged at her own questioning and made her way up to the office.  As she opened the door to reveal the front desk, the woman sitting there merely pointed her to the principal’s office.  Strange. She’s never been called up there before. Olyvia’s never been in trouble. She’s practically invisible.

 

            Upon opening the door, spotted the well-expected principal, but then rather strange men sitting across from the principal.  What kind of freaked her out even more was the fact that one of the men seemed to be staring her down. It was really making her uncomfortable.

 

            “Please, Miss Banner, have a seat.  Stay a while,” the principle flashed his signature smile.  Yet, Olyvia could really only send him an uneasy smirk; she would really rather _not_ stay a while if it was up to her.  Something strange was going on.  She could just feel it. With this, she took a seat next to the man that wasn’t staring at her so much.  Olyvia also made sure not to sit so close; she just couldn’t risk accidentally touching him.

 

            She turned back to the principal, searching for some sort of explanation, but everytime he would open his mouth, he would just close it again.  As if, he just wasn’t sure how to express what he wasn’t trying so hard to share. The silence was nearly killing her, so softly Olyvia began to question,

 

            “Mr. Giles, why was I called down?” With this, Mr. Giles cleared his throat. He sure did seem nervous to Olyvia. He tried to speak again, but failed. It was the man sitting next to her that finally began to speak.

 

            “Excuse me, Mr. Giles, but maybe I should be the one to break the ice,” Olyvia quickly snapped her head around to listen intently, “I’m Agent Coulson.”

 

            _“An agent?  What the hell would an agent want with me?”_

“We’ve been doing some research lately and found something interesting that I think we should share with you. We just so happened to find your father, Olyvia.”

 

            All the breath was knocked out of her lungs.  Her _father?_   She actually had a father.  Though, she didn’t understand why this strange man decided to look upon her heritage, she was more interested in _who_ her father was at this point.  And that’s when it hit her. The other man. The who was staring at her so intently. It became so much clearer.

 

            Olyvia’s eyes drifted to a man with curly brown hair that happened to be greying on the sides. His irises were of a dark brown and were filled with anticipation and maybe even a little fear. Probably fear of how his newly found daughter would react.  Her heart was racing like a bird in a cage as she examined him.  Olyvia wanted to say something. _Anything_. But her throat had gone dry.  She couldn’t say a word.  Thank goodness for Agent Coulson to keep the conversations flowing.

 

            “Olyvia, this is Robert Bruce Banner.  Which I fully assume you’ve come to realize that this is your father,” at this, Olyvia merely nodded. What was she even supposed to do at this moment?  Was she to cry? Scream and yell at him for not being there?  Or possibly be happy now that they were reunited?  She felt literally everything.  Though, whether it be anger or relief, she felt tears begin to blur her vision.

 

            _“No. I can’t lose it in front of everyone like this.  Keep yourself together,”_ Olyvia scolded herself. Somehow, she succeeded in calming herself enough to keep the tears from falling.

 

            “Please, I prefer Bruce. Call me Bruce,” her father finally spoke up; he assumed she wouldn’t call him father immediately anyways, if ever. Now, Bruce wasn’t exactly fairing well either.  At seeing her begin to tear up, he felt so guilty; he felt as if a knife pierced through his very heart.

 

            He could only imagine the numerous questions going through Olyvia’s head. At the sight, he just wanted to wrap her up into a huge hug.  Yet, at the same time, Bruce very much wished to keep certain distance between the two of them. There were certain things about him that even terrified his ownself.  Bruce could only imagine how it would make _Olyvia_ feel. He tried to pass her a reassuring smirk to maybe get her to relax a bit more.  And to his surprise, she gave a tiny smile back.

 

            Olyvia noticed that her reaction twisted Bruce’s face to a full-out grin, revealing his set of teeth.  She let out a little giggle.  He must not smile too often because he looked rather goofy doing it.  Though, she supposed that could just be his face. Their interaction was cut short as Coulson began to speak,

 

            “Well, I suppose it’s alright to dismiss her then,” he turned to Mr. Giles, “and take her along with us.”

            “Wait. What?” Olyvia squeaked.  She found it nice meeting him and all, but the fact that she was just going to leave with these men without even knowing where they were taking her…Though, she had to admit, she didn’t have a ‘real’ home.  Olyvia was living with a foster family as of now. They had so many other, more troublesome, children to watch out for.  At times, she had to wonder if they even knew she still lived there. Bruce’s mouth opened to speak, but Coulson interrupted.

 

            “Yes. I’m sorry this is all so sudden, but I believe this will be a win-win situation for us both.”

            “And what exactly is that supposed to mean?” Olyvia questioned carefully. She wanted the answers before she just left with a couple of random people.  But if the school was allowing this…then they must not be _too_ random.

 

            “Oh, don’t worry, Olyvia.  You’ll get your answers soon enough,” Coulson replied light-heartedly. This, of course, was starting to make her a little angered.  She had the God given _right_ to know absolutely everything.  And this guy is acting like he can just toss her around and give her all of the details later. Oh no, not on her watch.

 

            “I believe that I have a right to know everything, Agent Coulson,” the quick change in her tone and attitude, had Bruce and Coulson sharing glances at each other.  It was stern and she was now obviously annoyed.  Rightfully so, in Bruce’s mind.  He knew that he wouldn’t like this either, so that’s why he decided to attempt calming down the fire.

 

            “Listen, I’m sorry about all of this and your unanswered questions, but the sooner we get you back, the better.  I promise – we promise we’ll tell you everything.  You just have to…” Bruce searched for the right word, “trust. Yes, trust us for a little while, alright?”

 

            Olyvia paused for a moment to think about it, but finally just sighed in acceptance of the situation.  What else was she going to do anyways?  The school had obviously agreed, and if the school agreed, they must’ve spoke to her foster parents at some point for permission.  She was stuck with no way out.

 

            “Alright then.  Let’s do this,” Olyvia answered, looking up at Agent Coulson.


	2. Chapter 2

            The car ride, of course, was very awkward.  Coulson was focusing on driving and Bruce, not knowing what to say or do, twiddled his fingers and kept silent.  Olyvia actually felt pretty bad for the poor guy.  Bruce looked incredibly guilty for everything.  This was when Olyvia finally, truly felt bad about all the ill-will she ever wished upon her father…It probably wasn’t even his fault or choice, the way he was acting.

 

            Olyvia bit nervously at her bottom lip.  Trying desperately to find something to say to the man sitting next to her.  Though with finding nothing to say, she gave up and just began speaking with Coulson.

 

            “Do you think you could answer some of those questions, now?”

            “Be patient, Olyvia. You’ll have your answers soon,” he answered with a smile.

            “At least where we’re going, maybe?” Olyvia questioned with a role of her eyes.  She watched Coulson think about it for a moment. He finally nodded towards Bruce. Olyvia whipped her head around to her father, searching for an answer.

 

            “We’re headed to Stark Tower,” Bruce answered. Olyvia thought about this and soon realized she knew the name and as well as the building, itself.  It was that Tony Stark guy; the one who engineered numerous inventions and the like.  Yet, even with her evaluation, she wasn’t sure exactly why they would be going there of all places.

 

            “But why would we go there? What’s the point of all this?” Olyvia’s question sent Bruce into silence.  He himself wasn’t sure how much he was allowed to share quite yet.

            “Well, I can’t tell you that much.  To be honest, I don’t know all the details myself,” Bruce answered sheepishly.  Now, his statement wasn’t exactly a lie.  That was the annoying part about S.H.I.E.L.D. It seemed that they never gave out _all_ of the details.

 

            Olyvia gave her father a tired look.  She knew very well that that wasn’t his fault not knowing all of the details, but it was sure damn annoying.  But what else was to be expected? These were agents they were dealing with after all.

 

            “Alright, alright,” Olyvia finally just gave up on finding any further information. With the way things were turning out, she realized she wasn’t going to get hardly _any_ details out of these people.

 ~~~ 

            Olyvia watched as Coulson drove the car to the side of the curb, next to the Stark Tower. This was when she immediately became nervous.  Olyvia absolutely despised meeting new people.  First off, it made her feel so incredibly anxious.  And finally, she was just _awful_ about making that wonderful first impression to get people to remember and like you. Olyvia soon realized she wanted no part of this, but before she could even protest, Coulson spoke up.

 

            “Doctor Banner, how about you and Olyvia head on in.  I’ll meet up with the two of you in a bit.  I assume you know what to do, Doctor?”

            _‘So, my dad’s a doctor.  Interesting,’_ Olyvia concluded.

            “Yes, I do,” Bruce answered with a small smile, “See you soon, Agent Coulson.  Come on, Olyvia,” her father motioned her to get out of the vehicle and all she could do was comply, so with a nod she left the car and started to walk towards the building by her father’s side.  Before they entered, Olyvia stole a quick glance at Bruce. He could feel her watching him, but decided not to turn and just leave it at that.

 

            As they entered the building, Olyvia’s mouth nearly dropped to the floor.  The place was _huge_. She had never seen a place so…technological.  A plethora of lights and sound surrounded her to the point that she nearly felt overwhelmed by it all.  Along with this, many people were buzzing about.  They looked much like agents.

 

            “Hey, is the tower usually this busy?  This is insane,” Olyvia commented towards her father.

            “Well, not usually, but there are certain…circumstances at the moment,” Bruce spoke carefully. He was really hoping that didn’t cause her to ask more questions about why she was here just yet. Director Fury had made Bruce swear on everything single thing that he had not to tell her.

 

            Olyvia merely sighed at her father’s remark.  She knew that even if she asked anything more in-depth she wouldn’t get a thing out of the guy. She then happened to look over to Bruce who was getting dangerously close.  Olyvia’s heart nearly dropped when his shoulder almost brushed against her. Luckily, she somehow turned sideways just in time.  Though, this caused them to be awkwardly standing face-to-face with one another at an uncomfortably close range.  Olyvia could read that strange look on Bruce’s face.  It clearly spoke, _‘What the hell was that?’_ So, Olyvia just tried to sort of brush it off.

 

            “Oh, sorry! I thought I was in your way,” a nervous, little chuckle passed through her lips as she backed up to a nice distance.  Once again, Bruce gave his daughter a funny look, really not understanding what just happened, but he just decided to let it go, as well.

 

            ‘That’s alright,” he replied with a small smile, “I, uh…suppose I could show you to your new room?” Olyvia noted how his statement seemed more of a question.  Bruce was sort of difficult to speak with, Olyvia quickly realized. She just hoped it would get somewhat better the more he got used to having her around.

 

            Bruce began rubbing at his wrists.  God, he was nervous. He had never felt so insecure in his life.  How the hell was he going to be a father?  He was really beginning to feel that he was doomed for failure…

 

            “Well, alright then,” Olyvia flashed him a smile to try to make him more relaxed. 

Bruce really couldn’t help, but smile back.

 ~~~ 

            Bruce politely opened the door for Olyvia, to which she threw him a quick, “Thank you.” As she looked about the room she noticed that it was relatively large.  She had honestly never had a room quite so big before. She then had a sudden thought.

 

            “W-Wait! What about all of my stuff?” Olyvia was curious due to the fact they just left directly from the school to here without taking her back to her house.

 

            “That’s actually where Agent Coulson headed off to, I believe,” with this, Olyvia nodded, no longer quite so worried about all of her belongings.  After his answer, an awkward silence was brought upon the room. Olyvia grew to dislike this and asked a question that had been on her mind since the car ride.

 

            “So, you’re a doctor, huh?”

            “Yes, I am,” Bruce spoke in reply.

            “Well,” Olyvia played shyly with the hem of her shirt, “What kind of doctor, exactly?”

            “I specialize in nuclear physics,” with looking over Bruce, Olyvia smiled as she saw that spark of excitement in his brown eyes over those two, little words.  She had to admit, that was a pretty impressive career he had. She didn’t know much of the subject, but she knew it had to be interesting.  She’d have to ask him for a few lessons later.

 

            “Really? That’s actually _really_ cool,” Bruce felt happiness and a touch of pride from her words.

            “Well, thank you. It is pretty…cool,” the word felt foreign on his tongue.  Olyvia sensed this, as well, and let out a giggle.

            “I suppose I should let you get some rest.  I have some work to do in the lab, as well.  The lab’s on this floor, down the hallway to the right, so if you need me, that’s where I’ll be,” with a final nod from both sides Bruce exited her room.

 

            Olyvia searched about her newly found room.  It was full of green and blue pastels.  The sheets and pillows of her bed were a light cream with the same colored blue at the trim. She threw herself upon the bed, straight onto her back with a happy laugh.  Olyvia absolutely loved this.  No little, bratty kids running about and making all that noise she hated so much.

 

            “It’s so peaceful,” Olyvia murmured to herself, a small smile gracing her features.  As she sat there, she began to notice something. Bruce hadn’t mentioned to where the bathroom was located.  She bit at her lip as she contemplated whether or not to go to him for an answer. Yet, on the other hand, if she tried hard enough, she could probably just find it herself. It couldn’t be that hard, right?

 

            Olyvia raised herself from her bed and made her way to the door.  Upon opening it, she looked left and right down the hall, trying to pick the direction she wished to go.  She decided to turn right towards the lab.  Maybe there was one by there.  As she took steps along the floor, she caught sight of Bruce working with some strange contraption through the lab’s glass windows.  Olyvia ultimately decided not to bother him and slipped by the lab.

 

            Light humming passed through her lips as she continued down the many halls.  Olyvia made note to recall the previous directions she chose as to not get lost, but soon found it to be rather difficult to do so, causing her to be lost in a maze of tile.  Olyvia let out a frustrated sigh.  She _always_ got herself lost. After a bit she just pushed her back against the wall and slid down to sit on the cold ground. She put her face into her hands. Olyvia really hated herself at times. It was then that a voice cut through the thick silence causing her to jump a bit.

 

            “Who the hell are you?” It was obviously the voice of a man.  It sounded pretty gruff at the moment.  Olyvia couldn’t tell whether he was surprised or more on the angry side. She looked up to find a man with dark, short hair and a sharply cut goatee.  He was surprisingly shorter than Olyvia had first imagined. The man waited for an answer while Olyvia just sat there dumbly, stuck in her own thoughts.

 

            “Hello? Anybody home?” the man waved a hand in front of her face.

            “O-Oh. Sorry.  My name’s Olyvia,” her words were just audible enough for him to hear.

            “ _There_ we go,” the man threw her a smile, “Now we’re getting somewhere. Name’s Tony Stark. Couldn’t help, but notice that you looked a little lost.”

 

            _‘So this is Tony Stark,’_ Olyvia thought to herself as she rose to her feet.

 

            “I don’t think I’ve seen your face before.”

            “Yeah, I’m…new here,” she wasn’t exactly sure what she should say due to the circumstances with her father and everything, so that was the only thing she could think of.

            “Cool, cool. Where are you off to, anyways? This is my glorious palace,” Tony threw Olyvia a smirk, “I’m sure I could point you in the right direction.”

 

            Olyvia laughed a little at his words with a roll of her eyes, “That would be very helpful, thank you. I’m actually just looking for the bathroom.”

            “Just the bathroom? Sounds like someone just dropped you off with no direction,” Tony gave out a laugh, while Olyvia let out a nervous chuckle.  His joking words were actually a very accurate representation of her situation at the moment, “Follow me, my lady. It’s right this way.”

 

            Olyvia threw him a smile and started to walk along the hallway with him.

 

            “Okay, so, the nearest bathroom’s actually in the lab.  I’ll just take you there.  So then you’ll get to meet a good friend of mine,” Tony spoke.  Olyvia gave a half-hearted laugh.  He had no idea that she knew exactly who he was talking about.  Tony would soon find out that Bruce and Olyvia were quite related.

 

            Tony waltzed into the lab with a grin, “Hey, doc.  What’s the experiment this time?”  At this, Bruce turned to say hello to his friend, but froze when he realized just who was standing next to him.

 

            “Olyvia?” Bruce looked at her with great confusion.

            “Wait a minute. You guys know each other?” Tony questioned looking back and forth between Olyvia and Bruce.

           

            Olyvia gave a sheepish little set of wave and smile, “Hey…dad,” that felt so strange on her tongue, but she assumed she could get used to it sooner or later.  Bruce’s eyes, did though, brighten up at the word, but he was still curious about the situation that brought them together.

 

            Tony’s jaw dropped at those two, simple words, “Oh, my _God_. You have a _daughter_?”

            “Yes. I do, Tony,” Bruce answered with slight exasperation.

            “How long has _that_ been going on?” Tony’s remark gave Bruce another sigh.

            “For seventeen years,” Olyvia spoke with a soft chuckle.

            “Man, I need a seat to think this through,” Tony slid into a chair near him and the only thing you could hear was his final whisper,

 

            “ _Damn_.”


	3. Chapter 3

            Tony sat there in a dumbfounded state.  He just couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  Slowly he began to speak,

           

            “Well, it’s nice that you two have been reunited and all, but why the hell’s she here, doc? You know damn well about the dangers of –” Bruce immediately cut Tony off.

 

“Yes, yes.  I know,” Bruce spoke in a quickened tone, “So, how did you two meet, anyways?”

 

            Olyvia rolled her eyes. She wasn’t stupid. She knew very well that he was covering up something.  Something important. And that _really_ annoyed her.

 

            “I’m going to go use the restroom, now,” with a little huff, she left the two men alone. Bruce gave out a sigh.

 

            “So, you didn’t answer my question.”

            “Oh, right. She got lost.  Simple as that,” Tony turned towards Bruce to see a troubled look on his expression, “What’s with the face?”

 

            Bruce took a seat across from Tony.  As he spoke, it was very much laced in insecurity and worry, “I don’t know if I can do this, Tony. I mean, I know a _lot_ of things, but raising a child is not one of them.”

 

            “Look, I’ve never had kid myself, but what I _do_ know is that you are thinking way too damn hard.  Just treat her like the normal, average person.  That’s what she is, after all, and most importantly, tell her the truth,” Bruce nodded slowly at Tony’s words.  He knew this usually, egotistical man was right.

 

            _‘I just need to relax,’_ Bruce thought to himself with a soft sigh. Both men turned their heads as they saw Olyvia return.  Bruce looked her over.  She was mad; that was very easy to see.  He was beginning to think that maybe it was time to take her to Director Fury.  If she didn’t get answers soon, Bruce was sure Olyvia would blow a gasket.  He didn’t want to overwhelm her, but time was running out and the truth would show itself eventually. It had to be done.

 

            Bruce cleared his throat, “Olyvia, I think it might be time that you get some answers,” now this had caught her attention, “Though, I can’t tell you myself.  I’ll have to take you to the Director for that.”

 

            That word made her nervous. The _Director_? To Olyvia, she wasn’t fully aware of the situation at the moment, but she wanted to know the reality, even if it wasn’t exactly what she wanted to hear.  In thinking, Olyvia passed Bruce a small nod in both agreement and understanding.

 

            “Well, alright. Let’s do this,” Olyvia spoke, trying to seem more confident than she actually was.  Bruce threw Olyvia a small nod and motioned her towards the door as he slipped off his lab coat.  Both walked out the door, leaving Tony alone.

 

~~~

 

            Olyvia felt a nervous knot twist in her stomach.  She was hoping that all she was about to hear were good things, but she knew that that thought was hardly ideal considering the situation she’s been going through. The two walked side by side in silence. Olyvia surely would’ve attempted in making conversation if she weren’t so nervous about it all. As for Bruce, it seemed he never really started conversation, anyways.

 

            After many twists of hallways, that felt like forever to Olyvia, they finally reached a door. It was a typical door that didn’t seem to serve of much importance, but Olyvia knew that soon a new life would commence.  Olyvia watched as Bruce’s hand reached out to knock on the door, just loud enough for the person on the other side to hear.  After a bit, a gruff, authoritative voice cut through the air,

 

            “Come in,” the man spoke. The voice was nearly intimidating to Olyvia, but she kept her cool.  As they entered, her eyes searched over the man in front of her.  He was dark-skinned and dressed in black. Though, what caught her sight the most was the eye patch strung along his features.  The young girl couldn’t help but wonder what caused his eye to come to this state.

 

            The newly found man threw a confident smirk, “Miss Olyvia Banner.  Welcome to Stark Tower.  I hope you’re enjoying your stay so far,” Olyvia noticed his words were practically seething in amusement, “I’m Director Fury,” he stood and walked to Olyvia, coming to a stop right in front of her.

 

            “Hey,” Olyvia’s words were small and barely audible, though it seemed that Fury heard them all the same, for he gave her a sharp nod.

 

            “Doctor Banner,” Fury turned his one functional eye towards Bruce,” Leave us alone for a bit. I’d like to speak to her alone.”

 

            The doctor agreed to this, but couldn’t help feeling a little nervous.  Bruce wasn’t entirely sure just how _much_ Fury would share with her.  Especially about Bruce, himself, and in his mind, Bruce didn’t want his daughter to see him as a complete monster.

 

            Olyvia heard the click of the door behind her, indicating that her father had finally departed from the room. At this, she finally shifted her eyes to Fury’s, waiting impatiently for an explanation.  Olyvia watched as he returned to his desk and sat himself down.

 

            “Olyvia, have a seat,” Director Fury motioned to the chair in front of his desk, “Stay a while,” his signature smirk crossed his features once again.  Olyvia really wasn’t sure how she felt about this guy, but nonetheless took the seat across from Fury with her fingers fiddling in a nervous manner.

 

            “So, let’s get started, shall we?” the Director searched through the numerous papers on his desk. It was a mess to Olyvia’s eyes, but Fury made it look easy to find whatever he needed in his hands, “I’ll just cut to the chase. We’ve got your typical alien race. Wants war.  Most likely going to try to take us over –”

 

            “Wait, what? What the hell kind of prank is this?!” Anger started to bubble within Olyvia’s stomach.  She couldn’t believe it!  All of this push and pull and chaos of pure anxiety.  And to think, she might have actually found her dad. Olyvia started to think that he wasn’t even her real father with the way things were going.

 

            “Do _not_ interrupt me. Do you understand, Miss Banner?” Fury’s voice nearly made her jump out of her seat.  He was practically yelling and the sternness of his manner was enough to make anyone start bawling, but she kept calm; the best she could to her ability, anyway.  The way he was acting…maybe it wasn’t a huge joke.  Or maybe this ‘Director Fury’ was just a great actor.  Either way, Olyvia took in a shaky breath and nodded.

 

            “Much appreciated,” Fury cleared his throat, “Now, back to what I was saying, we have our normal alien shenanigans, but there’s something different about this whole situation,” there was a halt in his speaking.

 

            “…And what’s so different?” Olyvia questioned slowly, trying ever so carefully as to not upset him again.

 

            “They want _you_.”


	4. Chapter 4

            The ideas of Fury’s words were absolutely chilling even with a skeptic mind.  Perhaps it was the way he said it?  Even so, she didn’t fully trust him quite yet. Olyvia swallowed her fear and searched his face for any truth; he seemed rather serious about it all, but in thinking, he was being so absurd.

 

            Fury had expected her hesitance.  Who wouldn’t really? The Director threw her one of those ‘all-knowing’ sort of smirks and slammed down a folder full of files onto the desk in front of her, insinuating that she should probably take a look at them.

 

            “Take these with you on your way out.  I have a feeling they’ll help you with your doubts, Miss Banner,” and there was that damn smirk again. Olyvia wanted to punch it right off of his face, but thought better considering the possible consequences of such an action.  So, as a result, she turned her attention to the folder in front of her.  Her hands gently moving over the parchment as if it would tear. And finally, she opened it, her eyes scanning over the black ink seethed to white.  That was when her heart dropped.

 

            They knew _everything_.

 

            All that she had ever done in her life was right _there_. Olyvia was scared. No.  She was _terrified_. Her body shook as her pulse quickened within her veins.  The tears were practically begging to be free.  Olyvia wanted out.  She needed to get out, now. Without thinking, she dropped the files amongst the floor and stood abruptly from her seat, knocking the chair to the ground.  With a turn of the heel, she darted out of Fury’s office, barging through the door and, in the process, nearly hitting Bruce in the face with it.

 

            Olyvia could hear her father call after her, but she didn’t stop.  She just couldn’t.  Olyvia had never been so scared.  She had never been so convinced that some alien race was coming after her, and secretly, Olyvia was quite sure why they were doing their best to get to her.  Her _powers_. The fact was plain as day, but that still didn’t mean that she wanted to come to terms with it.

 

            She had made it quite a long way from the office and with all of the twists and turns, Olyvia knew that it would be a while until they would find her again.  That was perfect to her because, right now, she just needed a little space.  In all of her thoughts mixed with blinding tears, Olyvia didn’t see, or let alone notice, the person that happened to be in her path.  Not until she finally collided face first into someone’s chest. She immediately turned away getting ready for another high-speed chase until the stranger grasped her arms spinning her back round to face him.

 

            Now, that had done it. The contact had been made. It seemed the very air she was to breathe was knocked out of her and the only thing left to take in was this poor man’s life.  And soon, she learned that the only thing he had gone through was _war_. Bodies shot and left for dead. Bodies that she could only guess were friends that he had lost during that time.  This man had witnessed too much blood and gore for an entire lifetime.         

 

            The stranger noticed the glossy look that took over her eyes and was getting exceedingly worried for this woman.  Olyvia began to shudder excessively and the man was worried of the possibility of a seizure. That was the only thing that he could guess to be happening at the moment.  In turn, he put a stabilizing hand upon her shoulder and in a very concerned voice began to speak,

 

            “Miss…are you all right?” his question held strongly in the air as she gave no answer.  Suddenly, her senses finally returned, the glossy look in her eyes having disappeared. Olyvia broke down into a heavy sob, holding both of her hands amongst her face, shaking profusely from all of the things she just saw.  The man noticed her immense trembling and quickly, but gently, pulled her into his arms, attempting to calm her down.

 

            “Calm down. It’s going to be all right,” he spoke sweetly, a certain hushness falling upon his tone. Something about his voice began to relax her.  He paused before finally speaking again, seeing that she had calmed down a bit, “Now, what’s your name, miss?”

 

            “Olyvia,” her answer was weak and rather stuffy considering all of the crying she had just done. Olyvia’s eyes had finally adjusted enough to get a good look at the man in front of her.  She pulled away from him to search about his form. Comparing to her, he was _very_ tall.  He had neatly combed blond hair and a set of soft, blue eyes to go along with it. The man gave her a small, sympathetic smile.

 

            “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Olyvia. I’m Steve.  I’m very thankful to see you’re okay,” Now, Steve, was secretly thanking the stars that she hadn’t had some sort of medical emergency or whatever the hell just happened.  He was just happy to see that she was all right.

 

            “I’m fine,” she paused, “I’m sorry,” though Steve didn’t know, she wasn’t just apologizing for her episode and the fact that she ran into him.  She was also saying sorry for all of the bad things that he had gone through.

 

            “Don’t you worry about it. No need to say sorry for something you don’t have to apologize for,” His response gave Olyvia a soft smile that went all the way to her eyes.  Steve looked her over for a bit until the calling of a name cut through the air. Olyvia sighed. It was Bruce and she knew it. She had to face him sooner or later, so she just stayed put.

 

            “Thank God, Steve. You found her,” Bruce heaved from loss of breath.  He had obviously been running for quite a while.

 

            “Oh?” Steve gave a crooked smile, “Was she lost or something?”

            “Well…Sort of,” the shorter man replied.  Olyvia gave a roll of her eyes at his statement, causing Bruce to sigh, “To be honest, no. She wasn’t.  Fury is just horrid with words.”

            “Director Fury has never been good with those, has he?” the soldier spoke with a light laugh. Bruce smirked a bit thinking of the truth behind his words until he turned his attention to his daughter, once again.

 

            “Olyvia…Are you doing all right?” his words were cautious, hoping that he was saying the right thing at the right time.

            She gave out a sigh, “I suppose.  There was just…a lot to take in, I guess.”

            “I know. And I’m sorry, but I swear we’re going to work everything out.  You’ll be safe.  I promise.”

 

            Steve watched their little discussion with curiosity.  The way he treated Olyvia compared to others was rather different to say the least. There was an obvious connection that Steve was trying to knit together, but wasn’t finding an answer to. He was doing his best to be patient in his asking, but the longer the conversation went, the more and more his wondering grew and finally, Steve just butted in.  Sure, it was rude, but he couldn’t seem to help himself on this one.

 

            “Wait. Hold up a second,” Steve rubbed the back of his neck, “Do you two know each other or something? I mean, maybe I’m wrong, but I feel like I’m missing something here.”

 

            Steve watched as both Olyvia and Bruce were sent to a hush.  They exchanged glances with one another, as if deciding who was going to crack and speak up first.  After a bit of this, Bruce finally sighed and began to speak himself.

 

            “Olyvia is my daughter,” At Bruce’s statement, Steve’s eyes lit with newly found curiosity until he finally broke out into a bright smile.  It must have been a bit contagious because in seeing this, Olyvia grew a small grin of her own.

 

            “Well, that’s wonderful, Bruce,” Steve turned towards Olyvia with a bit of a laugh, “She seems nice, so far.”

 

            The doctor smiled a bit, “Yes, but she’s also been a bit…might I say, ‘frazzled’ about the whole situation.”

            “That can only make sense. I bet it’s been a lot, huh?”

            “Yeah,” Olyvia responded simply, “It’s been pretty hectic.”

 

            Steve gave her sympathetic look.  It was then that he remembered the reason for even wandering the halls at all; he needed to meet with someone and Steve Rogers absolutely despised being late.

 

            “Sorry, everyone,” he became rather rushed, “But I’ve got to get going.  I’m meeting with someone and I’d hate to be late.”

 

            And with that, he gave out a few good-byes to both Olyvia and Bruce and sped down the hallway at top speed, hoping his friend wouldn’t be too annoyed.


	5. Chapter 5

            After a quiet, and slightly awkward, walk back to Olyvia’s room with her father by her side, she finally hit the bed with a thud and a huff once Bruce finally left her to be alone. In laying, she grasped the pillow next to her with heavy hands, thinking over everything she had gone through within a 24-hour period of time.  Not only was she worn out mentally, but now physically from dashing about the hall to the tears that had fallen mercilessly from her eyes.

 

            Out of pure frustration and constant change her life happened to bring at the moment, she groaned into the pillow she clutched.  It was only the first day and Olyvia was tired of the place.  She could only hope that it got better.  Olyvia had a feeling it would, but it was rather difficult to think positively in such a state.

 

            Olyvia rose to a sitting position with a sigh, the pillow still firmly placed amongst her hands. She could feel the tears begin to rise up again, but she didn’t let them fall this time.  She was done with that, for now, wanting absolutely nothing to do with such an emotion.  Either way, she couldn’t help but let out a shaky breath, letting her eyes fall closed for a moment.  That is, until the sound of another man’s words hit her ears.

 

            “Are you quite alright, Miss Banner?” the mysterious voice asked.  Olyvia’s eyes snapped open to look for the source. In seeing that she couldn’t find it, she practically leapt off of the bed onto her two feet. The clutch on her pillow became inevitably tighter, practically crushing.

 

            “W-Who said that?” Olyvia squeaked, still looking in every direction possible to find this man.  To be honest, it was starting to scare her quite a bit.

 

            “Do not be alarmed, Miss Banner.  Though, I must inform you, that searching for me won’t aid you in any way.  I am J.A.R.V.I.S., an advanced computerized A.I. developed by Tony Stark,” J.A.R.V.I.S. stated matter-of-factly.

 

            In hearing this, Olyvia allowed herself to relax slightly, taking a seat back down on her bed and for the first time, finally letting go of the strangled white pillow as she began to speak. Though she found herself to be bit unsure of how to respond,

 

            “Oh…Well, nice to meet you, J.A.R.V.I.S.” her statement sounded more of a question, but it worked for her nonetheless.

            “A pleasure to meet you, as well, Miss Banner.  I am here to tell you that Mr. Stark has requested your presence.”

 

            Olyvia gave the A.I. a small nod, pursing her lips in doing so.  She couldn’t help but wonder what Tony wanted.  She decided to halt her thoughts for now and allowed J.A.R.V.I.S. to lead her to Tony, once again twisting through the assessment of hallways. Olyvia gave out a sigh. She would need help finding her room, again.

 

            Finally, Olyvia reached her destination, giving J.A.R.V.I.S. a gentle thank you, to which he gave a ‘you are quite welcome’ in return.  After this, her eyes searched over the room she was now in. Vast glass windows were splayed amongst the walls on the further side. An island kitchen was settled to her left with a display of rather expensive sets of various alcohol placed beside it. At last, she turned her head to find a pair of couches, a coffee table set in front of each. One couch was empty and the other had the infamous Tony Stark sipping casually at his glass of wine, his eyes turning lazily to find Olyvia staring at him.  Though, once he saw her, his eyes seemed to brighten in interest as he set his glass on the table carefully.

 

            Olyvia watched with careful eyes as he gestured for her to come on over.  So, that’s exactly what she did.  As she took her steps, she decided to sit on the same couch as Tony, only a cushion between the two.

 

            “So, what do you think of J.A.R.V.I.S.?” Tony questioned with a smirk, obviously very proud of his work.  Maybe even a little cocky. Olyvia thought a bit on how to respond to that.

            “He was…very interesting,” she paused, deciding to say what she was thinking, even though it would feed his ego, “Pretty cool, actually.”

 

            As expected, the comment brought Tony’s smirk to a grin, “Why, thank you.  I built him myself.”

 

            Olyvia chuckled a bit at his words and decided to ask a question of her own, “So, did you need something? You called me down here…” she trailed off a bit, not entirely certain how to end the sentence. She saw Tony throw her a fake sort of pout.

 

            “What’s so wrong with just wanting a bit of conversation?” Tony spoke playfully, as he always did, “And besides, you’ve probably got a lot of questions yourself. I figured you’d prefer asking me rather than Fury,” he ended with a little laugh, causing Olyvia to chuckle a bit herself.

 

            “That’s true. He’s pretty scary,” Olyvia stated with a crooked smile.

            “Yeah, that guy isn’t exactly what I’d call a ‘people’s person,’” Tony agreed, pulling himself up to sit cross-legged amongst the couch, facing Olyvia.  He looked over her face carefully, seeing now that she had turned to a state of thought.

 

            “So, what’s on your mind, kid?” Tony questioned as Olyvia turned to look at him once more. The young girl only gave him a shrug.

            “I guess, I’m just trying to figure everything out, is all,” she gave off a sigh.  There couldn’t be any harm in opening up to him a bit, “Doing my best to sort things out, so that they make sense. I’m assuming you know about this alien ordeal, right?”

 

            Tony threw her a small nod, a sympathetic look crossing his usual cocky features, “I do, but I’ve got aliens walking in and out of here pretty much every day,” Tony laughed when he saw Olyvia’s expression turn to shock.

 

            “Don’t worry. The one’s that waltz through here are the good ones,” Tony spoke with a certain glint in his eye that made Olyvia look at him in playful suspicion, “In fact, you’ll be meeting one tomorrow.”

 

            Her eyes widened and Tony couldn’t help but grin.  The new ones were always so easily impressed and Tony could never help himself to take complete, utter advantage of such facts.  He was always one for having a little fun.

 

            “Really?” Olyvia spoke just above a whisper.  The amazement in her voice was highly evident and Tony let out a chuckle, sending her a sharp nod with a wink.  Tony watched as she looked to the side in thought, probably imagining what this ‘alien’ would look like.

 

            “He’s not purple with gigantic spikes for shoulders or anything, if that’s what you’re wondering,” a smirk crossed his features and Olyvia laughed returning her gaze towards Tony, feeling completely at ease with him now.  Tony sensed this and decided that he’d show her one of his favorite places in the tower.  So, he motioned for Olyvia to lean in a bit, as if he was about to tell her the universe’s largest secret.

 

            “Wanna see something _really_ cool?” Tony smirked. In seeing a mischievous look cross his features, Olyvia gave a grin of her own.

            “Definitely,” the young girl returned, eagerly.  The two shot out of their seats, with Tony rushing down the hall and Olyvia following suit.


End file.
